MTG Flash Fan Fic: Master of the Wild Hunt
by Shorewall
Summary: This was a prompt on Tumblr from the MTG community team. Master of the Wild Hunt is a pet card of mine, so I was motivated to participate. It is almost twice over the 1000 word limit, but I banged this out in about an hour, and I'm pretty happy with it. It is a short little thing, but I'm proud of anything I write.


Sondra ran between the trees. She had been running for 20 minutes. And she couldn't keep it up for much longer.

She'd come to the deep part of the woods, in search of the fabled Nirnroot. Her mentor had been teaching her to create potions and remedies, and Sondra had learned of the plant. It was said to exist in the heart of the deep woods. But people avoided that place, whispering of terrible creatures and travelers who were never seen again.

Sondra had brushed off the warnings as superstition, the same superstition that labeled her and her mentor as alternatively mystic and helpful, or unfamiliar and dangerous. She'd thought to explore the woods and prove it just another part of nature. And if she could find the location of Nirnroot, then it would open a whole new avenue of exploration in her craft. She hadn't told her mentor, wanting to surprise her if successful, and ignore it if it came to nothing.

But now she was learning the truth. Not supernatural creatures, but all too normal. A ravenous wolf pack had been harrying her. She'd managed to stay ahead of them, and whenever one came too close, she reached into her bag and flung a smooth stone with precise accuracy. She'd hit the first few and given the pack pause, but they had begun learning her range, and staying just outside of it.

And her stone supply was finite. Whenever she stopped to rest, the pack began howling and crowding closer. Sondra was no fool. She knew that if the entire pack came for her, she wouldn't stand a chance. So she had to pick up her pace again, while throwing a few stones across her body, in a sub-optimal fashion, just to keep them off her. She just had to keep running.

Sondra eyed the trees around her, searching for a place that she could climb. But none of the trees here had climbable branches near enough to the ground. Her lungs burned with exertion. She was getting a second wind, her body adjusting to the pace, but her mind was casting about for a way out, and coming up empty.

Gradually the trees started thinning out. A small part of Sondra's brain, not currently occupied with forcing her body to continue this hell march, wondered about it. This was supposed to be the deepest, thickest part of the woods. Why was there a large clearing?

Sondra began calculating. The trees gave her a small amount of cover. Out in the open, she would be doomed. She began curving her path to skirt the approaching tree line. Maybe she could turn around and make it back to civilization, represented by her mentor's hut, and the village beyond. But then she saw something that froze her blood, even in her adrenaline fueled state.

A lone figure was striding through the woods, making for her projected path. It was tall, and hidden in a green cloak. Most distinguishing, large antlers sprung from its head. Sondra felt a primal fear at the sight. She couldn't stop, for fear of the wolves behind her. And she couldn't alter her path more, which would lose her ground in her constant flight. She would have to approach, and evade the ominous figure.

As she came into closer view of the strange figure, she could recognize a helmet, and a long grey beard. It was human?! …-ish? Having spotted that tell, she could now make out the brown clothes and furred boots the figure wore. The knowledge that it could be human took the razor's edge off of her fears, but didn't completely sooth them. Was this figure friend or foe? How could one person help her against a wolf pack?

Then Sondra noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Flinching instinctively, she saw many of the wolf pack speeding up on either side of her. They were easily outpacing her, and beneath the terror she felt as they eclipsed her speed, she wondered why they had not done so before. Until she saw them reach the man (for she could see he was a manly figure, though covered by beard and helm and cloak). The part of the pack that had sped past her milled about him, not attacking, and restraining themselves as they stared back at her approaching form.

Sondra slowed to a walk, as her mind tried to grapple with what she was seeing. A nip at her heels let her know that not all of the wolves had stopped their pursuit, though they weren't bringing her down. A sinking feeling spread over her, as she began to realize that she had indeed been hunted, but not in the usual way.

Finally, she stood before the towering figure. His expression was obscured, but she could see his eyes. They were grim and dark, and old. She couldn't parse any meaning out of them as to his disposition towards her.

They stood in silence, and Sondra wondered if she should speak, try to plead, or explain herself. She wondered if the man could speak. So she was startled when a deep, raspy voice addressed her.

"You trespass in these woods, child."

Sondra bridled at that, despite herself. She was a young woman, but no longer a child. She had been training with her mentor to develop her skills and make her mark in the world. Then she realized that her accomplishments most likely meant little to this person, whoever they were.

"I'm…sorry." It pained her to apologize, for what she wasn't sure. But it seemed prudent to err on the side of conciliation when faced with inescapable doom. "I didn't know that these parts were forbidden."

"You didn't hear the tales?" the man questioned.

"You're behind that?" Sondra questioned back. "I thought they were foolish stories."

"They were the best I could do, to warn people away," the man stated. His words were firm and even, driven with the weight of time.

"I wanted to help people!" Sondra protested. "I came seeking Nirnroot, to help people!" _I don't deserve to die_ , she didn't say.

The figure paused. "You have found what you sought, to your sorrow." And he motioned towards the clearing that Sondra had dismissed. Out in the open snows, faintly glowing plants were visible.

Sondra's eyes widened, as she gaped at the sight. Nirnroot existed? It was here?! Tears rose unbidden to her eyes, as a smile broke out upon her face. It had been here. Her bravery and curiosity had been rewarded. Then the smile faded. If only she could escape this man, and his inexplicably trained pack of wolves.

She turned back to the man, who was regarding her with a look that approached an aloof sadness. It raised her hackles a bit. Nothing was sad here except that this outlander was threatening her. He was in total control! If he was so sad about it, he could let her go!

"My vigil is to watch over this location, and keep it from those who would _despoil_ it." The man spat the word, in contrast to his usually slow and measure manner of speaking.

"I don't want to _despoil_ anything!" Sondra protested. "I only wanted to take some back for experiments and to help those in need!"

The man grunted. "I daresay you're right. But you wouldn't be the only one." He shifted in his stance. Sondra was once again struck by how large the old man was. Not like a giant, but definitely of different stock than those in her village back home. "No, if you found the Nirnroot, and took it back with you, then others would follow. They would destroy this sacred place in their clutching greed."

"So you're going to kill me?" Sondra spat, fear and anger mixing in her soul. "For that, I deserve to die?!"

"Die?" the old man repeated her words. "Child, you are a part of this world. I could no more slay you for this, than I could allow the despoilment of nature to occur."

Sondra paused, trying to figure out where this was going. "So you'll let me go, if I promise to not tell anyone?" she asked, already wondering if her mentor would keep the secret.

"I'm sorry, young one," the man replied, raising his hand. "Your time in that world has come to an end."

Suddenly, Sondra felt raw pain all over her body. Her muscles and bones ached and throbbed. " _Aaaagghh!_ " she screamed as a scouring heat poured through her. Despite the cold, sweat dripped off her skin, and turned to steam. Her body was convulsing, not responding to her desperate attempt to control it. She hunched over involuntarily, scrabbling on the ground.

Another scream tore its way out of her throat. Halfway through, it turned into a howl. Her face shattered into pieces, then reformed. Her limbs cracked and broke, shifting and twisting with a horrible noise, and horrible pain. And fur forced its way through her skin, obscuring any trace of the person she had once been.

When the transformation was complete, in place of the human, stood a wolf. Its fur was grey and sleek, and it stood before the man and the pack.

"Welcome to your new life," the man said. The wolf cocked its head and looked up, as if it could understand. "Now you will help me to safeguard this place." The wolf steadily returned his gaze. The man motioned towards the pack. "Now, join your brethren."

The wolf paced forward to join the pack. As it did, some of the others growled and nipped at her, but she immediately raised her hackles, and growled ferociously. Most backed off, but one lingered too long for her liking, and she attacked, fiercely biting and pulling, until her victim broke away with a yelp, and retreated into the pack, whimpering. But now that it had been shown as weak, the pack continued the assault, forcing the unfortunate wolf to the outskirts.

The wolf that had been Sondra made her way towards the front of the pack, until others began growling at her progress. She growled back, but they did not relent, beginning to turn on her. So she let off, averting eye contact and lowering her tail to show she didn't want to fight, and the others turned back to the path. As the pack headed out into the clearing, any trace of the being that had once been Sondra was lost to eternity.

The old man stood still, at the edge of the clearing, deep in thought. _I told that witch at the edge of the woods to warn people away from this place, but apparently some doubt the stories. Maybe I should attack that village, and drive and kill enough of them to prove the stories true._ The old man sighed. He wished that humans could leave well enough alone, for it gave him no joy to hunt those to whom he had once belonged. But if he had learned anything from his years of life, it was that humans did not stop. They rapidly overran their environments, and so they must be culled and watched, to protect the rest of the world. Even with them dying from exposure and disease, the potential lurked.

The old man grunted, no longer worried. Yes, he would lead the pack in an attack on the village. They had lived in the shadow of the woods too long, and were becoming accustomed. They needed to be scattered. Let them find another place, and in time they might return, with a greater fear and reverence for their place in the world.


End file.
